Fantasy The Clueless Wizard (Completed)

[Yokai]

》Ask how is she still alive.

Arden wasn't as surprised as she should have been at the sight of another wizard. Something that should technically be impossible. But since discovering that glamour she'd begun to have her suspicions. So, Tazz was somehow alive and the tower was still somehow recruiting new wizards. Her first thought was that the other had used a glamour to escape death and the detection of the tower. But honestly? Arden had absolutely no idea how the other had done it. She straightened up slightly, Watson in one hand as she faced down the other wizard with an expression of curiosity.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Tazz," Arden replied, returning her pen pal's rather terrifying smile with a smaller, more sane one. "I'm Arden, though I assume you're already aware of that?" If she'd been following her and keeping tabs on her then Arden didn't doubt that she'd at least know her name by now.

"I'm actually a little surprised to see you," She admitted carefully, trying to find an angle to approach this at. "Your treasure hunt was fun but I am wondering... how are you still alive if I'm here?"

 

[ArcticFox]

"I'm not, technically." Tazz shrugged, finding a barrel to the side and climbing on it to sit. She was a small woman, about half Arden's height, but her expression and overall appearance made her as menacing as if she was Kogan's size. "I died once here, but I was too stubborn to stay dead." She grinned, showing her sharp teeth. "But, that's not why I wanted you to come here. I've been watching you for a little while. I was hoping you'd follow my trail when the dragon found you.

"Sorry about that, I was planning to undo my magic there, but I've had too much on my plate in the past century. I'll give you my amulet, I wanted you to have it anyway, but it was just the most convenient place to leave a message and get your attention. I can't really go out into the streets openly, especially not now when Blackcliffe is swarming with Yrantan agents.

They will come for you soon, too. As they did for me. As they did for Thomas. I'm here to warn you. Be careful. You never know who might stab you in the back. It could even be someone close to you."

- Ask about the dragon's eggs.
- Ask about her death.
- Ask about her knowledge as a Wizard.
- Ask about the Yrantans.
- Ask about Thomas's death.
- Ask something else.

 

[Yokai]

》Ask about the Yrantans.

So... Tazz was what? An undead, zombie wizard? That was actually pretty cool.

In a world where magic was fairly commonplace and a sentient tower chose the next wizard, Arden wasn't too surprised to hear that Tazz had cheated death. If Harry Potter could do it then so could she! She also felt the last of her reservations about the smaller woman dissipate upon the mention of helping the dragon's eggs. It was reassuring to know that she'd been prepared to fix the situation she'd caused. Arden was more than happy to do the job for her too, Shiala didn't seem like the type to take failure as an option.

Arden leaned against the alley wall across from Tazz, her posture a little guarded and expression uncommonly serious as the other wizard explained the rising tensions between Blackcliffe and Yranta. So, did that mean that the Yrantans were behind the previous wizard deaths? That definitely wasn't reassuring and she didn't like the paranoia that suddenly crept up her neck. Arden trusted Tazz on the simple premise that she was also a wizard; another outsider who'd been thrown into this world without even a written guide. If she lived through this then Arden decided she'd write one.

"Thanks for the warning," Arden said, breathing out a low breath as she ran a hand through her dark, ruffled hair. "And thanks in advance for the amulet, I'd been trying to figure out a counterspell." She admitted with a small snort; figures that she'd just needed to follow the treasure trail.

"So, how bad are things with the Yrantans?" Arden asked after a moment. "I've only been here for about two weeks but it sounds pretty bad to me. Killing Blackcliffe's wizards, trying to bring down the city, sabotaging the harbour..." She grimaced slightly. "What are they even fighting about?"

 

[ArcticFox]

"Apparently they wanted to take over this rock for quite a while. They don't have sea access, so they wanted to acquire an exclusive beachfront property for their Empire." Tazz responded with a shrug. "They are also expansionists, I'd say. And that's not unique for this realm, I'm sure you've had such Empires at your home too. I am very familiar with the concept." She gritted her teeth as if remembering something painful. "The Yrantans are sneaky bastards and they have recently acquired quite an array of magical artefacts. They are not to be trifled with. They don't have Wizards, though, which is why they have been disposing of those that arrive to Blackcliffe, we are their biggest threat."

She plopped down from her sitting spot, rummaging through her pockets and then presenting a golden necklace with a circular pendant to Arden. The pendant had some sort of a rune carved on it.

"Here, I stole this from the Yrantans some time ago. Now when I'm technically dead, it doesn't work for me any longer." There was a look of longing in her eyes. "It's difficult for me to part with gold, but I don't want to see another Wizard die. And I especially don't want to see Yrantans win. This amulet will give you an edge. Or at least it will help you with the dragon. Wear it on your person and you will understand glamour magics far beyond your current abilities. It will help you devise a counter spell for my mishap. But, as all artefacts it takes time to charge after use, so use it responsibly."

- Ask something else.
- Part ways.

 

[Yokai]

》Part ways.

Arden swallowed the lump in her throat as she accepted the amulet with a quiet reverence. She briefly paused before she looped the necklace over her head until the circle of gold rested against the exposed skin of her collarbone and then disappeared beneath the fabric of her shirt. This had been an enlightening experience all round and she couldn't help but feel different for having met Tazz. Knowing that this world was so much bigger than Blackcliffe or even herself, and then knowing that she had a part to play in that.

Also, there was the very real threat of her being murdered. But she was repressing that for now; nice.

"Thanks again, I promise to look after it and I'll make sure to keep an eye out for any sneaky Yrantans." Arden assured her softly, flashing her another lopsided smile to accompany her attempt at lightening the mood. It was pretty weak but it was hard to be genial in the face of such news. "If... you ever need anything, or you're in trouble, I have no doubt that you'll be able to find me?" She ventured carefully, feeling a small kernel of worry for the other wizard. "Wizards have to stick together, yeah?"

 

[ArcticFox]

"Yeah, I'll track you down, new Wizard, be sure of it." Tazz said with a win. She then waved a hand goodbye and disappeared further into the darkness of the alley.

"Are you alright?" Alexei asked Arden as soon as she appeared. "I saw you go inside and it looked like you were only talking with someone. Hopefully no one dangerous?" He inquired.

- Tell him everything about Tazz.
- Tell him some things.
- Don't tell him anything important.

 

[Yokai]

》Tell him everything about Tazz.

It took a moment for Arden to regain her mental balance before she stepped out of the alley. Only to startle at the sound of Alexei's voice and almost lose her physical balance. Thankfully, Watson was there to support her.

"Define dangerous," Arden said once she'd calmed her racing heart. The talk of war and dangerous plots had her a little paranoid. "I just met Tazz, the wizard that came before me and Thomas, and who was killed by Yrantan plotting. She gave me this cool necklace to solve my dragon problems and essentially told me not to trust anybody. So, yeah. My life is fucked." She concluded, breathless from her own emotions.

Dark eyes flickered up to gauge Alexei's reaction; he'd saved her life before and Arden really needed somebody that she could trust. If she only told a few select people about what had happened and then she got betrayed -- it'd certainly keep the suspect list short.

"Come on," Arden sighed, suddenly exhausted. "I'll tell you the story on the way back. But you're going to need to keep this quiet for now, please?" She tried to use her imploring puppy dog eyes on the knight. She might even have thrown in a sad pout for good measure.

 

[ArcticFox]

"Of course." Alexei nodded readily, but there was a glint of uncertainty in his eyes. He hesitated for a moment before following her out of there. Perhaps he was only taken aback by all the new information.

--

One good thing at least came out of her meeting with Tazz - her dragon problem was solved. When Shiala came for her the next morning, ready to put to torch half the city, Arden could tell her with confidence that she found a solution to her issue.

The amulet around her neck got warmer the moment she was dropped in front of the dragon's den. It was reacting to the spells woven inside. Arden had sufficient knowledge to understand what spell was cast on the eggs and with the amulet's help she will be able to undo it. However, the artefact will be dormant after that, and it would take it an unknown amount of time to charge, so she will not be able to use its powers after.

- Undo the spell with the help of the amulet.
- Try undoing the spell with your knowledge only.
- Try something else.

 

[Yokai]

》Undo the spell with the help of the amulet.

Pale fingers wrapped around the thread of her amulet and pulled it out from the confines of her shirt. Since she'd taken the route of hunting for treasure rather than studying or increasing her glamour manually Arden decided to take the risk. If she was lucky she'd be able to judge how long it'd take until the amulet refueled. Flashing Shiala her best reassuring she took a deep breath and hoped this would work.

 

[ArcticFox]

The effect of the counter spell was not immediately visible. It is not like she cast a fireball or predicted future. She only felt the amulet growing warmer with each passing second and the shell of the scaled dragon eggs underneath her palm started vibrating softly.

When she removed the hand and completed the spell, the vibration intensified, until finally she could see the tremors racking the eggs and making them roll out of the nest. Shiala screeched at that , frightened and angry. She was ready to unleash her anger on Arden, dragons were not known for their patience or forgiveness after all. But, just as her jaws widened and the flames collected in her mouth, the first egg cracked.

A baby dragon the size of a large domestic dog, rolled out right in front of Shiala's feet. It squeaked and cooed, wobbling awkwardly up to its mother and snuggling against her front legs. Soon enough, other two babies followed. Shiala was pacified.

"Thank you, Wizard." The big dragon said in a softer voice, looking at her babies with motherly pride. "I won't forget this."

--

The bells were ringing again. Arden smelled the smoke before she saw the flames. From the window of her Tower she saw the palace was on fire.

But, no one was coming to get her this time. Had they forgotten about their Wizard? Or was the situation that serious that no one was able to reach her?

Kogan had gone to the palace that morning, being summoned by the Queen for some business he did not want to talk about. Was he too trapped in the burning building?

- Go to the palace.
- Don't go.

 

[Yokai]

》Go to the palace.

What is happening!?

She had smelled the smoke before she'd even seen the flames. Arden's crimson cloak was around her neck in seconds as she fled down the steps of the tower. The fact that the palace was on fire was enough to make her take off immediately, but the fact that Kogan could be there and she hadn't apologised? Could she live with herself if anything happened to him?

Whether or not she was called forth to deal with the situation she was going. Arden didn't know how much help she could offer the palace but she couldn't sit by and let the flames consume everything.

 

[ArcticFox]

As Arden approached the palace she saw that all of the doors were closed. Two guards were standing on duty at the main entrance with worried expressions on their faces.

"Wizard!" One of them approached her. "Something is going on inside. I think there are intruders."

"But, we can't leave our post unless summoned." The other one said.

The fire was not visible as she approached, perhaps only a part of the palace was burning, but she did smell the smoke still.

- Go in and look for the Queen.
- Go in and look for the Prince.
- Go in and look for Kogan.
- Go check out the fire.

 

[Yokai]

》Go in and look for Kogan.

For a moment Arden paused at the threshold of the palace, overwhelmed by the scent of smoke in the air. The words of the guards rung in her ears and immediately she recalled Tazz's warning of the Yrantan's plotting. If she was lucky then it'd only be part of the palace that was on fire -- and perhaps it was childish of her but she really hoped it was a false alarm.

"Okay. I'm going in," Arden nodded to the two standing watch, sucking in a relatively clean breath of air before she brought up the collar of her cloak. She'd need to avoid breathing in too much smoke; didn't they say it was the killer rather than the fire? With that in mind she threw open the doors and rushed inside.

Where are you, Kogan!?

 

[ArcticFox]

Entering inside, through the smoke, that was surprisingly not as thick inside as it was out (perhaps a neighbouring building was on fire and not the palace?), Arden roamed through the great hall, which was devoid of life, but filled with corpses, and then through the hallway that led out of it.

Corpses littered the hallway as well. Some of them dressed in palace guard uniforms and more of them in plain black robes or armour. Here she encountered Prince Tobias standing in his pyjamas, holding a sword in his hands. His eyes were scared, but determined. There were six fully armoured guards protecting the heir who all looked to Arden with relief when she arrived.

One of them was Kogan. He immediately approached Arden, speaking in an urgent tone.

"Wizard, there are masked soldiers everywhere in the palace. They cut off our access to the Queen's chambers and we haven't heard back from the Queensguard. We kept the Prince safe, but I have a feeling that they are rounding up for another attack."

- Comfort the Prince.
- Comfort Kogan.
- Ready for the next attack.
- Leave them and go ahead to the Queen.

 

[Yokai]

》Comfort the Prince.

Corpses littered the palace floors and Arden's chest tightened with sharp, intangible panic. Her childish prayers that this was an accident, and that everything would be alright, had been thoroughly dashed. When her gaze finally settled on the group of guards some of the building hysteria subsided. At least there were some survivors; even better, her bodyguard and the Prince were still standing. Dark eyes flickered over Kogan's appearance as he hurried over, obviously checking him over for wounds.

"I could smell the smoke from the tower," Arden said as means of a greeting as she reached out to grip his forearm to cement that he was truly safe. Her gaze slipped past Kogan to rest on the Prince, making sure that he was similarly alright. There wasn't much she could do if they were about to mount a counter offensive other than add more fire to the flames.

"I'll stay here and assist against with next attack. I assume they burn just as easily as anyone else," This time her words were directed over Kogan's shoulder, dark eyes focused on the Prince as her expression was determined but grim. He looked like he was the one who needed the most comfort right about now. And while she may still think of him as an irritating ass she didn't hate him. Nobody deserved to live in fear that their sibling wouldn't survive.

"I can also heal some of the more pressing injuries that any of you may have." That last part was directed toward the guards. She'd have to conserve some strength but Arden hoped that if they managed to fend off the attack then they could break through to the Queen's chambers. She doubted she could do it alone.

 

[ArcticFox]

Arden could see her words had some effect on the Prince, since he gripped the sword tighter and offered a little nod.

The door leading back the way Arden came from flew open as she was speaking. Two of the guards rushed forward to engage the enemy, but to her surprise, they were thrown across the hallway and into the far wall. They fell, broken and bleeding, to the ground.

She had never seen anything like it. The creature that entered the room was easily eight feet tall. It had greyish skin and two pairs of horns on its head. The creature wasn't wearing a shirt, which allowed her to see the enormous muscles across its chest. Even stranger, she saw that it had six arms. It raised all six appendages into the air, shaking its heavy fists as it roared.

"It's an orrok." Prince Tobias said softly under his breath, eyes widened.

The creature stepped into the hallway. Arden saw something small in the shadows behind it, a man who was nearly invisible in the darkness. He wore dark clothing and held a sharp-looking sword in one hand. He slipped quietly into the room to stand beside the enormous orrok.

"You don't all need to die today." The man said in a raspy voice. "Leave now. We're here to kill the prince."

"It's Shade." Prince Tobias whispered in an awe-filled voice, which gave the panicked guards a little more courage.

- Intimidate the man.
- Try to talk him down.
- Attack right away.

 

[Yokai]

》Try to talk him down.

Okay, Arden reasoned with herself as she stared up at the multiple armed creature, that's kind of hot but also completely terrifying. Distantly she registered Prince Tobias' words and wondered what she'd gotten herself into now. Whomever these two were they were both well-known enough, and dangerous enough, to inspire genuine fear and awe from those around her. That wasn't great. It seemed like it was about time for Arden to try and talk herself out of the situation.

"I'm afraid we cannot do that. But you already know that," Arden replied, voice much steadier and calmer than she felt. Her grip tightened on Watson. Why couldn't he wake up and help already? "You're the one who should leave now because we cannot back down, but you can. It looks like you've already lost many lives; there's no need to add to them." She tried making her voice reasonable and diplomatic, as if speaking to somebody she trusted. Silently she regretted not investing more time into persuasion or mind control. This was not a fight that she wanted to get involved in, even with an armoured guard at her back.

 

[ArcticFox]

Her voice was strong and heartening, causing the guards to hold their ground. She sounded like an action star in some movie. Her glamour magic enhanced her appearance in the eyes of others and made her seem even taller and more courageous. Prince Tobias, having been calmed by her words earlier, seemed even more confident after she spoke. Kogan stood his ground, a menacing look in his eyes.

She did a lot with her little speech, but she did not deter the attackers.

The orrok stepped toward her with a confident smirk. Its two lower fists were raised defensively, but its upper fists looked ready to punch. The creature looked extremely strong and deadly. The assassin stayed behind the monster and out of reach of the guards.

- Command the guards to attack.
- Cast your fire spell.
- Heal the two fallen guards.
- Cast some other spell.
- Call for a guard to give you a sword and attack the orrok.
- Attack the orrok with your staff.
- Surrender.

 

[Yokai]

》Cast your fire spell.

Alright, that hadn't worked as well as she'd hoped but she hadn't been lying about not backing down. Arden was unfortunately bound to Blackcliffe's royal line; not just out of sheer duty but also out of a weird sense of loyalty. Queen Larissa had been kind to her and the people of this kingdom looked to her for protection. As much as she wanted to bolt Arden began to realise she'd have to face this, whether it was now or later. Yranta wanted her dead and Blackcliffe wanted to protect her. It was as simple as that.

"Have it your way," Arden muttered as she steeled her resolve and desperately ignored the voice telling her she was going to die.

The creature before her looked extremely tough and definitely not like somebody she could hope to beat in hand-to-hand combat. That only left her with magic. Healing and divination were out of the question for now, with her only real offensive spells pertaining to Watson and her fire magic. Arden was beginning to see the allure of the latter. So, that was how her incredibly simple plan was formed. Try to push the orrok back with flames and hope he doesn't persevere. A series of smaller fireballs might work, in case he tried to dodge the first one or defend with his arms.

 

[ArcticFox]

Her fire spell was excellent. She knew this, she worked had on learning it and she had seen it in action recently.

However, her fireballs were like flies to the creature. The orrok had thick skin and simply ignored the pain with a smug smirk as it took another step toward Arden.

- Command the guards to attack.
- Heal the two fallen guards.
- Cast some other spell.
- Call for a guard to give you a sword and attack the orrok.
- Attack the orrok with your staff.
- Surrender.

 

[Yokai]

》Command the guards to attack.

It was... resistant to fire!? Oh, that was not good. That was not good at all.

Arden took a hesitant half-step backward as she reassessed the situation at hand; she was better suited for calculating and staying out of combat situations. Being in the middle of one was a dangerous place for her to be. Especially without fire or lightning to protect her. Distantly she reminded herself that she wasn't alone this time and that there were guards around her. It felt too much like weakness to call on them, as if she'd let them down. But she wasn't going to die for her own pride and image.

"My flames can't break through his skin," Arden observed with a sharp hiss, more for the benefit of the guards around her. "Not like a blade or a sword would." Her gaze didn't leave the orrok's smug expression, uncertain of how exactly to proceed. "It can be killed but not by me --" Again with that false confidence. "-- you'll need to attack it together. I'll heal the other two and see if I can get them back into the fight. Go!"

 

[ArcticFox]

The guards nodded and moved surround the orrok, led by Kogan. With its six arms, the creature was able to strike out in many directions at once. It grabbed hold of one guard with two hands and threw him into another. This allowed a third guard to strike out with her sword, cutting the orrok across the back.

The big creature grabbed the guard, but then Kogan uses the distraction to slam his fist against the monster's knee. As the orrok fell, it snapped the neck of the guard it was holding. Then it crawled toward Kogan.

Arden was quick to heal the first two guards, just enough for them to regain their feet and rush forward. Thankfully she did in time, because even injured, the orrok managed to kill two more guards that threw themselves to protect Kogan, before its head was finally hacked off its body.

Prince Tobias let out a hiss as Shade held a blade against his throat. The stealthy assassin had slipped around the room without anyone noticing. There was no time to cast another spell.

- Throw your staff at Shade.
- Rush forward and hit Shade with your staff.
- Surrender.

 

[Yokai]

》Throw your staff at Shade.

In the chaos of the fight, and in her rush to heal the two fallen guards, Arden had left the Prince undefended. Panic rippled through her at the sight of the blade pressed to his neck. Then, in a move that had literally no planning or forethought behind it, she threw her staff. The aim was to provide enough of a distraction to get Prince Tobias away or to create an opening for her to cast another spell. At least that's what she'd tell herself because in reality she'd just plain panicked.

 

[ArcticFox]

It was a difficult throw. The staff soared through the air and missed Shade. Shade drew the weapon quickly across Prince Tobias's throat. The prince fell to the floor, blood gushing from the wound.

The assassin then rushed down the hallway and out of sight. Prince Tobias was holding his throat as blood poured from between his fingers.

- Try to stop the blood with your hands.
- Cast the healing spell.
- Stand back and let him die.
- Comfort him as he dies.

 

[Yokai]

》Cast the healing spell.

Arden had always thought people were full of shite when they mentioned time slowing down during important moments of their lives. It seemed that she was unfortunately correct. Because one moment she was throwing Watson through the air and the next the Prince's throat was cut.

"Nononononono!!" Arden panicked through a litany of negatives as she essentially threw herself over to the Prince in a desperate attempt to heal the damage. He wasn't allowed to die! She hadn't told him how much of an absolute dick he was, and she still needed to prove him wrong about being useless! Which was why, with tears of frustration in her eyes, Arden desperately tried to heal the damage done to his throat. If she could heal the cut and stop the bleeding then everything would be fine!